Rocksyliviania

Jagged, sharp, small, large, baseball sized, marvel sized, car tire sized, just every where, ROCKS!  Hardly a step in any direction will not result in stepping on some form of rock.  The hammock pays off for sleeping except for trying to drive a stake in the ground, then it's a game of roulette.  Hiking is tough, slow going.  My ankles twist often, knees belch, and the feet moan with no delight.

Welcome to Pennsylvania.

The funny thing is, I'm not even close to where it gets bad.  I am just north of the 501 shelter on PA 501.  I'm expecting my shoes to be torn up by the time I hit Kent CT after the trail get back to sudo normal.  I got barely 700 miles out of the last pair and Kent will be about the right place to get a new pair.  Hiking shoes come to die in Pennsylvania, aka Rocksylvania.

These rocks make the local hikes, in SLC, above Red Pine Lake, and Maybird Gulch a sinch.  There its climbing or stepping from one to another except on a few path like areas.

I know when I'm on the AT, its the worst trail around.  In places so over grown I use my sticks as weed wackers.  In other places, I see the white blazes and play connect the dots while hoping I don't end up with a picture of a house.  As I cross other trails they tend to be a bit better taken care of or atleast the dirt hasn't been worn away from around the rocks.

Every so often, I get lucky and the AT follows an abandoned road.  That's if I'm lucky.  I like seeing ferns as they tend to put more plant matter on the ground between the rocks.  Ferns are also an indicator of a near by spring, even un-marked ones.

There's other issues with Pennsylvania that I won't go into.  I'll say, ticks and scant water, to end what I need to say about the above.

Hike on & watch how you step...